Life History Strategies and Recent Changes in Population Structure in the Lizardfish Genus, Saurida, on the Australian Northwest Shelf

Thresher, Ronald E.; Sainsbury, KJ; Gunn, John; Whitelaw, AW

doi:10.2307/1445283

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Bagenal 1971. Further, planktonic larval durations vary more widely among individuals in some families and species than others (Brothers 1984, Victor 1986) and in some species even differs among sites (Thresher et al 1986, Thresher et al 1989). Hence, we suggest our regional comparisons will prove robust for those families, such as pomacentrids and pomacanthids, that exhibit relatively slight intraspecific variation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of intra- and inter-oceanic regional differences in the early life history of reef-associated fishes

Thresher¹,

Brothers²

1989

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Data on a variety of early life history features among coral reef-associated fishes are reviewed and assessed for evidence of consistent regional intra-oceanic and inter-oceanic variation. The data currently available focus on interspecific, rather than intraspecific variation, and on demersal, rather than pelagic spawning families of fishes. Although data for comparisons are still sparse, the information available suggests that sizes of eggs produced, sizes of newly hatched larvae, durations of the planktonic larval stages and rates of larval growth, at least, can vary on spatial scales that range from across reefs to among oceans. Egg size, size of newly hatched larvae and planktonic duration appear to CO-vary within families, which suggests they are not evolutionarily independent. No single factor is likely to underlie the range of regional variations apparent. We speculate on the causes of, in particular, inter-oceanic differences in life history features, review evidence for and agalnst these hypotheses, and suggest means whereby they can be tested. INTRODUCTIONResearch on coral-reef fishes centers on 2 areas: the tropical western Atlantic and the tropical western and central Pacific. The results of studies in one area are frequently compared directly with those in the other (e.g. Bohnsack & Talbot 1980, Gladfelter et al. 1980, Talbot & Gilbert 1981, and integrated to generate a broader understanding of the factors that determine the structure and diversity of reef fish communities (e.g. Ehrlich 1975, Smith 1978, Sale 1980). An assumption implicit in the integration of such studies, or indeed of studies from different regions within the same ocean, is that the biology of confamilial fishes in different areas is fundamentally the same. This assumption seems reasonable, given the broad taxonomic overlap of the reef-associated fish fauna around the world. Few families are restricted to only one region, and in most cases overlap is extensive at the However, few direct, quantitative comparisons have been made of the behavior, ecology or physiology of related fishes inhabiting coral reefs in different parts of the world (see reviews in Sale 1980, Pamsh 1989, Thresher in press). Even less work has focussed on the possibil.ity of regional differences in life histories. Several studies have suggested that spawning periodicity varies between sites in a number of families (see Johannes 1978). Randall (1961) reported that the size at settlement for acronurus Acanthurus tnostegus varies between sites within the tropical Pacific, apparently as a function of water temperature (higher temperatures = smaller fish at settlement). Victor (1986) noted that the duration of the planktonic larval stages of Hawaiian 188 Mar Ecol. Prog. Ser. 57: [187][188][189][190][191][192][193][194][195][196][197][198][199][200][201][202][203][204][205] 1989 endemic labrids appeared to be longer than those of related species at Guam. Subsequently, Thresher et al. (1989) reported that planktonic durations of pomacentrids found on the...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of intra- and inter-oceanic regional differences in the early life history of reef-associated fishes

Thresher¹,

Brothers²

1989

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Since Saurida undosquamis and Saurida sp. 2 are morphologically indistinguishable and thus require genetic techniques for their specific identification (Thresher et al 1986), they were collectively recorded as Saurida spp.…”

Section: Sampling Regime and Environmental Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between latitude and environmental conditions and the species richness, abundance and composition of tropical fish assemblages over soft substrata

Travers¹,

Potter²,

Clarke³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Large-scale studies are required to elucidate the environmental factors that structure faunal communities. The relationships between the characteristics of the coastal ichthyofaunas over the soft substrata of tropical north-western Australia and both latitude and environmental factors were thus explored by analysing trawl data obtained for deep and shallow inshore waters at 7 regularly spaced locations along this 1500 km coast during both the dry and wet seasons. In the dry season, species richness and density were greater in the Kimberley and Pilbara bioregions than in the intervening Canning bioregion, where, in contrast to particularly the Kimberley, rivers and mangroves are largely absent. Species richness and density were greatest in the most northern bioregion (Kimberley) during the wet season, when nutrient input from rivers and water temperatures were highest. The high species richness and density at 1 Canning location during the wet season was presumably related to increased productivity brought about by local cyclonic events. Ichthyofaunal compositions in the Kimberley differed markedly from those in the Canning and Pilbara, where tidal range was less and water clarity greater due, in particular, to far greater densities of leiognathids and terapontids. Compositions at all locations in the dry season differed from those in the wet, when chlorophyll a concentrations and/or water temperatures were greatest and large numbers of certain species were recruited. Ichthyofaunal composition at each location almost invariably differed markedly between water depths, reflecting, inter alia, the tendency for some species to use nearshore waters as nursery areas and for others to occupy particular habitats.

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“…Saurida undosquamis and Saurida sp. 2 can be distinguished only by genetic analysis (Thresher et al 1986), which has not been done for NPF specimens. It is possible only one species was present.…”

Section: Label Family Species Criterionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability of fishery bycatch: a process for assessing highly diverse and numerous bycatch

2001

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In tropical prawn (shrimp) trawl fisheries it is daunting to assess the sustainability of bycatch species because they are diverse and there is little historical and biological information for quantitative stock assessments. We developed a process to examine the likely impact of prawn trawling on the sustainability of bycatch species and applied this to fish bycatch in the Australian Northern Prawn Fishery. The 411 fish bycatch species were ranked with respect to biological and ecological criteria that contributed to two overriding characteristics, namely first, their susceptibility to capture and mortality due to prawn trawling, and second the population's capacity to recover after depletion. The rank of each species on these two characteristics determined its relative capacity to sustain trawling, and therefore its priority for research and management. Species that were the least likely to be sustainable came from the families Apogonidae, Ariidae, Bathysauridae, Callionymidae, Congridae, Diodontidae, Labridae, Opisthognathidae, Plotosidae, Synodontidae and Tetraodontidae. These species are highly susceptible to capture by trawls, they are benthic or demersal, their primary habitat is soft sediments, and their diet may include prawns. The recovery capacity of these species is also low, with the estimated removal rate by trawling high. The species that were the most likely to be sustainable came from the families Carangidae, Clupeidae, Ephippidae, Scombridae, Sphyraenidae and Terapontidae. They are less susceptible to capture by trawls, they are generally pelagic, their primary habitat is not in trawl grounds, and they have a broad depth distribution and range in the fishery. These species also have a greater capacity to recover, as most individuals have bred before capture, and a low estimated removal rate by trawling. The final ranking of the species must be used with caution because of the assumptions made in the process. However, the process is a valuable first step towards ensuring the sustainability of the bycatch species. Because of the simplicity of the process, it can be readily used in fisheries, particularly those with diverse bycatch, to manage the sustainability of their bycatch.

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Life History Strategies and Recent Changes in Population Structure in the Lizardfish Genus, Saurida, on the Australian Northwest Shelf

Cited by 17 publications

References 18 publications

Evidence of intra- and inter-oceanic regional differences in the early life history of reef-associated fishes

Evidence of intra- and inter-oceanic regional differences in the early life history of reef-associated fishes

Relationships between latitude and environmental conditions and the species richness, abundance and composition of tropical fish assemblages over soft substrata

Sustainability of fishery bycatch: a process for assessing highly diverse and numerous bycatch

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